Amigo (アミーゴ) is the main character of the rhythm game, Samba de Amigo. He is a brownish-orange monkey that likes to play with his maracas. Besides being the star from Samba De Amigo, he is also a regular character in the SEGA mascot lineup appearing alongside Sonic the Hedgehog in many SEGA spin-offs. Amigo originally appeared in Super Smash Flash 2 as an Assist Trophy before getting removed in the Beta version of the demo, as the developers felt he was increasingly buggy and difficult to maintain, in addition to many players finding his effect annoying.[1]

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Character description

Amigo is the character conceived for SEGA's rhythm game, Samba de Amigo. The game poses a vast list of Brazilian rhythms. "Amigo", the Portuguese word for friend, was most likely used as the name of the main character to represent his friendly attitude.

Within the game, Amigo is a monkey boy who dreams of being a great maraca player. He is hyperactive and can get so caught up in the Brazilian rhythm that he cannot stop shaking his maracas. His favorite food is baked bananas, a specialty of his hometown. He is very talented in music and a team player, but not the brightest bulb on the tree. Amigo has a very clear friendship with Sonic the Hedgehog though the origin of their relationship is unknown. He also has a sister known as Amiga.

He has very notable appearances as playable character in SEGA Superstars, SEGA Superstars Tennis, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, and SEGA All-Stars Racing, plus many cameo appearances.

In Super Smash Flash 2

Amigo was originally one of the multiple Assist Trophies that could be summoned in Super Smash Flash 2. Despite his notable appearances in the several Sonic spin-offs games, he was labeled as a character hailing from his own series. When a player summoned him, he was accompanied by two amplifiers, three balloons, and two cacti which are dressed in stereotypical Mexican attire. When he began dancing, all the opponents would start taunting uncontrollably, rendering them vulnerable to attacks. This effect only took place when an opponent was on the ground. Amigo played his "signature song", Samba de Janeiro while he was in a match.

When the person that had summoned Amigo would attack an opponent, the resulting strike would let the opponent break free from taunting as long as the character is off the ground. This could give the opponent a chance to attack. Also, any affected player would only have 2 frames worth of time to make an action before the taunting resumed. Shielding, keeping airborne, or charging an attack could be used to avoid taunting uncontrollably.

Trivia

The concept for Amigo as an Assist Trophy was believed to be inspired by the old concept for Peach's Final Smash, the Dance of Happiness, which would work almost exactly the same way. Later on, it was revealed that this was not the case. The SSF2 Developer, Steven, who was the responsible over Amigo's spriting, stated that he came up with the idea after spending a large amount of time playing the game Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing.